The Factor Structure of the Work—Family Conflict Multidimensional Scale: Exploring the Expectations of College Students

Abstract

Work-family conflict (WFC) has been examined from a unidimensional approach, yet recent research has revealed three types (i.e., time, strain, and behavior) and two directions of work— family conflict. Previous researchers suggested that college students are unable to discern between the multiple-facets of WFC, thus measured anticipated WFC addressing only the bidirectional component. This approach assumes that college students have not fully considered each facet of work—family balance. The current study is the first to examine the use of measuring anticipated work—family conflict with college students from a multidimensional perspective. We investigated anticipated levels of three types and two directions of WFC of 295 college students by examining the factor structure of a modified version of the Multidimensional Work—Family Conflict Scale. Participants discerned between the three types of WFC yet were unable to differentiate between the directions of behavior and strain-based conflict. Implications for research and career counseling are also discussed.

Family Influences on College Students' Anticipated Work‐Family Conflict, Social Self‐Efficacy, and Self‐Esteem

“…The WFCMS uses 18 total items to measure three areas (i.e., strain‐based conflict, behavior‐based conflict, and time‐based conflict); Gaffey and Rottinghaus changed the wording of the items to measure future tense or anticipated levels of WFC in each area. We did not examine time‐based conflict due to the emotion and behavior focus of the study, which is consistent with Bandura's (1989) theory, and because time‐based conflict loaded on two separate factors (Gaffey & Rottinghaus, 2009). The SBC subscale consists of six items, and participants respond to items using a 5‐point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree , 5 = strongly agree ).…”

“…Emotion‐based WFC . Emotion‐based conflict was measured using the Strain‐Based Conflict (SBC) subscale from the Work‐Family Conflict Multidimensional Scale (WFCMS; Carlson et al, 2000), which was adapted by Gaffey and Rottinghaus (2009) for use with college students. The WFCMS uses 18 total items to measure three areas (i.e., strain‐based conflict, behavior‐based conflict, and time‐based conflict); Gaffey and Rottinghaus changed the wording of the items to measure future tense or anticipated levels of WFC in each area.…”

“…Higher scores indicate one's anticipated strain from one environment (i.e., work) interfering with one's ability to complete tasks in another environment (i.e., family). (Gaffey & Rottinghaus, 2009, p. 500)…”

“…A sample item is “Tension and anxiety from my family life will often weaken my ability to do my job.” Among a college sample, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .69 based on the SBC subscale scores (Gaffey & Rottinghaus, 2009). Our alpha coefficient in the current study was .85.…”

“…WFC can take various forms, including behavior‐based and emotion‐based (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000; Gaffey & Rottinghaus, 2009). Behavior‐based WFC originates in inability to shift roles effectively in moving from one domain (e.g., work) to another (e.g., family; Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985).…”